McCauley was born and raised in Beachmont and graduated from Revere High School in 1941 – furthering his education at Wentworth Institute and graduating there in 1943.

McCauley – like many young men from his era – entered the Navy after college and served in World War II.

Professionally, he was the long-time Sealer of Weights and Measures for the City of Revere, and he also served as a judge at Wonderland Dog Track for the State Racing Commission.

He was devoted member of the Immaculate Conception Parish for 60 years.

Additionally, living on Butler Street, McCauley was the unofficial guardian and curator of the Old Rumney Marsh Burial Ground for 50 years or more.

However, it was history that was McCauley’s passion – especially the history of Revere Beach. He even published seven books on the history of Revere and Revere Beach – books that serve as the authoritative source for any information on old Revere Beach. He was also a founding member of the Revere Society for Cultural and Historic Preservation (RSCHP).

By all accounts, his friends said he “got bit by the bug,” as he often said about the study of history, when he began collecting postcards.

“He started collecting old postcards,” said his close friend, Bob Furlong, of the Point of Pines. “That was his hobby. Then he started finding all of these old postcards of Revere Beach and became interested in the history behind those cards. He went as far back as Eliot – the architect who designed the Beach…He also had a lot of information on Wonderland Amusement Park and did a lot of research on that and the bicycle race track that was there for a short time. He was interested in that because he knew some of the people who raced the bicycles.”

Said another friend of his, Bob Upton, who runs a Revere Beach website, “It was the number of post cards that he had. He told us he had about 3,000 of them.”

Most of the postcards were purchased by the City of Revere several years ago, and are currently in the custodial hands of the RSCHP.

Upton worked on many Revere Beach projects over the last 20 years with McCauley, and said he was a dear friend and a great historian.

“We talked about anything on Revere Beach; it was our shared passion,” said Upton. “Just the other day I asked him who owned the old Ocean Pier Bath House and he knew it. He was a wealth of historical information and he was willing to share it. I can’t tell you how many college kids knocked on his door when they were doing a thesis on Revere Beach. He was always more than happy to help them…The pride he had in Revere and Revere Beach was amazing.”

Interim City Clerk John Henry – also a noted Revere historian – said McCauley really re-focused the city on the glorious past of it Beach.

“He probably, more than any other person, was responsible for rekindling peoples’ interests in the history of Revere and Revere Beach,” he said. “His collection was a beautiful collection and his publications were very good. It gave people a sense of pride in the Beach and its role in the city’s history.”

Mayor Tom Ambrosino said that McCauley gave him some of the best history lessons he had even been given on Revere.

“He was a very nice man and a great advocate for Revere and Revere Beach,” he said. “He was a great historian of this city and over the last 10 years we would chit chat in this office about the city’s history. We will miss him in this office.”

The high point for McCauley was organizing the Revere Beach Centennial in the 1990s, Upton said.

“There were 250,000 people who came to that event,” said Upton.

Additionally, McCauley – who moved to Reading a few years back for health reasons – was very excited about the resurgence of Revere Beach in the last few years, and especially the annual Sandcastle Festival.

He attended several of those festivals, and even made an appearance at this year’s festival.

Beyond the history, McCauley’s friends said he was a genuinely nice guy – a gentleman.

“I’ve known him since he was in Beachmont; we grew up down there,” said Furlong. “I think they should name something down at the Beach after Peter. If you never knew him, you missed something in this life because he was a solid individual. It was his pleasure being his friend.”